Manitoba Health, Healthy Living and Seniors said a complaint made by an external agency working for the department sparked the investigation.

It was determined the former employee had access records of at least 13 people. The province says the person no longer works for the department, and the information found in the investigation has been turned over to the ombudsman’s office for further review.

Affected individuals are being contacted by the province.

Not all department employees have access to personal health information. Under the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) and the department’s policies and procedures, employees are only authorized to access information if it is necessary to carry out their responsibilities based on an employee’s defined work requirements.